Russian Ambassador visits ANTARA, discusses information cooperation

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Russian Ambassador to Indonesia, Sergei Tolchenov, visited the ANTARA Heritage Center in Jakarta on Wednesday (15/4) to strengthen cooperation in the fields of information and news reporting. Tolchenov’s arrival was welcomed by ANTARA’s President Director, Benny Siga Butarbutar. “This is the era of information. Therefore, it is very important to build communication and news exchange between countries so that the people of both nations can get to know each other better,” said Tolchenov. He stated that both parties also plan to hold cultural activities featuring various arts, culture, and knowledge from each country. On that occasion, Tolchenov invited ANTARA to attend several international forums related to global security. “We hope there will be many opportunities for cooperation between ANTARA and Russian news agencies,” he said. Meanwhile, Benny said that his side welcomed Tolchenov’s visit to the ANTARA Heritage Center, which he described as one of Jakarta’s cultural heritage sites. “In this meeting, we discussed various issues, from globalisation, Indonesia-Russia bilateral relations, to interactions between the people of both countries,” said Benny. He added that people-to-people relations between Indonesia and Russia have a strong history. According to Benny, what needs to be improved by both parties is promotion and cooperation. The Russian people, he said, have great interest in visiting Indonesia, not only to Bali and Lombok, but also to other places like Yogyakarta and Lake Toba. “This opens opportunities not only in the fields of culture and arts, but also in media,” he stated. He added that cooperation with Russian media such as Sputnik and RIA Novosti demonstrates the commitment of both parties, including through editor exchanges and routine cultural activities.